First Rule of Scanning

For many of you on this list, this will be repeat. But it still needs to be written down.

The first rule of BW negative scanning is to scan RAW. Get the scan to be as close to the original negative as possible and invert later using Photoshop and master/tonal curves. The Master (or base) curve will get your general contrast and gamma. The Tonal curve will pull your desired interpretation into the image. Details on these two curves in tomorrow’s hint.

About The Author

Walker is a printmaker, artist, web designer, community organizer, and organic vegetable farmer who came to the digital field as a teenager during the flux between analogue and digital in the late nineties. He founded Black Point Editions in Chicago, co-founded and backed Latitude, ran the print lab at Light Work in Syracuse NY, and now R&D's ConeColor and Piezography ink at Vermont Photo Inkjet LLC.